Cool Clean Blog

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Which CO2 Spray Module Is Right For You?

June 29, 2015

Complex, delicate and challenging cleaning requires specialized tools. One such tool Cool Clean has developed is the CO2 precision cleaning line.

Integrated spray cleaning systems such as these use carbon dioxide in a solid state. The CO2 can be used to clear the surface of contaminants and prepare them for the next step in the manufacturing process. Micro particles, light oils, and dust are all cleared away with the help of this remarkable tool, all without leaving behind any residue or condensation.

Integrated spray cleaners do not come in a one-size-fits-all version. Rather, because of the complexity and variety of the surfaces these tools can be used on, we’ve designed a number of different spray modules to suit your needs. In order to find the module that will work best for you, it is essential to understand each design option.

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4 Things Cool Clean Technologies is Doing to Make the World a Better Place

June 17, 2015

After several years working in both civilian and military careers, Jon Wikstrom decided it was time to use his experience to change the world.

He had been working on a relatively unknown technology and believed in its potential enough to quit his career and launch something new.  His goal was to develop this innovative technology and make it available to forward-thinking companies who wanted to go green and improve the efficiency of their operations in one fell swoop.

The company he founded in 2001 in Eagan, Minnesota, was called Cool Clean Technologies and the revolutionary products it sought to bring to market were all based on harnessing the power of carbon dioxide in ways that would help businesses in a wide variety of industries to save money and time.

14 years later, Cool Clean is proud to be doing just that.  We’re both honored and humbled to be able to say that we are, indeed, making the world a better place and here’s how…

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CO2 Cleaning on Optical Surfaces, Lenses, and Scopes

May 29, 2015

Optics 1One of the best things about our CO2  cleaning systems is the fact that it has a wide range of applications in industries ranging from aeronautics to jewelry to electronics – we can build custom systems that are perfectly suited to each industry.

But one of the more unique and innovative applications is that of our CO2  based atmospheric spray system for treating optical surfaces, where we combine our CO2  spray cleaning with an atmospheric plasma tool. To get a better understanding of this system, we must learn what makes CO2  cleaning and atmospheric plasma successful, and why that led to combining the treatments.

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Liquid Carbon Dioxide for Selective Extraction

May 15, 2015

Carbon dioxide is one of the most abundant gases in our universe. We are creating tons of it on our planet, there are dry ice caps on Mars and even Venus has a carbon rich layer. But for all its abundance, it is still not very well understood by the general public. It isn’t even fully utilized in industrial applications.

For example, many in the business community would have no idea that CO2 can be put into a liquid state and that this liquid can be a very eco-friendly and efficient way to get rid of contaminants.

While most of us know that carbon dioxide behaves like a gas at normal temperature and pressure, and some of us may understand that if we freeze the gas it forms dry ice, not many know […]

Q&A with Cool Clean VP, Dr. Nelson Sorbo

April 30, 2015

We sat down with Dr. Nelson Sorbo, Vice President of Research & Development at Cool Clean Technologies, LLC to discuss his presentation at PMTS/PCx 2015.

At the technology show, he gave a twenty-five minute featured presentation on CO₂ technology, how it works, the process applications it has improved, and how it has been changing the future of traditional cleaning.  He also showed brief video demonstrations of cleaning and answered questions at the end of the presentation.

We asked him a few questions and had him share his experience.

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The Evolution of CO2 in Manufacturing

April 20, 2015

You’ve probably first heard of carbon dioxide in a classroom studying elementary chemistry. The colorless, odorless gas is not only the most important element for all plant life on earth, but also one of most ubiquitous.

The Earth’s atmosphere is made up oCo2 leaff a tiny portion, about 0.04% to be exact, of the gas and yet CO2 has helped many industries find plenty of ways to use it. But that is getting ahead of us, because it was the beginning that paved the way for CO2 and the success it has brought to applications today.

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Cleaning Automotive Parts with CO2 Spray Cleaning

March 24, 2015

Cleaning technology has changed dramatically over the years, especially thanks to one of the most common gases in our atmosphere – carbon dioxide.

Using CO2 for cleaning complex, professional devices with precision and surface preparation applications has become more and more popular as manufacturers see the many environmental, efficiency and cost benefits of this cutting edge technology.nozzle spray

One manufacturing industry that’s increasingly adopting dry carbon dioxide cleaning is the automotive industry.  Several major car makers are finding that the technology is allowing them to save money and time, while lowering their negative impact on the environment.

What makes CO2 special?

Besides the garments, pharmaceuticals and aeronautic industries, the automobile sector has been adopting the use of CO2 for cleaning as well. The gas is pulled out of a cylinder or Dewar and regulated through the Omega™ cleaning module where it forms the solid CO2 particles that provide the cleaning. The converted solid particles can vary both in size and density.  […]

The Collaborative Research Community Setting the Future of Advanced Manufacturing

March 4, 2015

Innovations redefine industries in the most dramatic way possible. The next big thing could fundamentally change the way business is conducted in any industry, and that is why it is essential for companies to focus on innovation to stay ahead of the game.

Innovation, though, does not come cheap. Companies around the world involved in a variety of different businesses are beginning to realize the scale of investments needed to develop new technologies and drive future growth.

The amount of money spent on Research & Development has risen substantially over the years, but this has done nothing to mitigate the risk of failure involved in seeking innovations. Many projects undertaken by companies’ R&D departments are doomed to fail and this makes innovating new technologies less economically viable.

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CO2 Cleaning Is Changing the Garment Cleaning Industry

February 11, 2015

The garment cleaning and dry cleaning industry is on the brink of sweeping change due to the public’s growing concern with the environmental hazards of many traditional cleaning processes.

Traditional Dry Cleaning

Dry cleaning has been around for decades now and is the largest user of perchloroethylene (PERC), a colorless nonflammable liquid. Perchloroethylene breaks down chemicals and evaporates when exposed to air, thus making it an excellent choice for cleaning organic fabrics.

The chemical, however, is a major threat to human beings, especially those who are in contact with PERC. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has recognized the effects of inhaling and coming into contact with PERC has on an individual and the environment. If PERC comes into contact directly with skin, it breaks through the fat cells and can cause irritation. Even just inhaling the air around PERC can lead to liver and kidney damage in humans. Repeat exposure to PERC may even cause cancer.

The public backlash against the use of PERC in dry cleaning has forced the industry to seek out more environmentally friendly alternatives.

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Atmospheric Plasma & CO2 Cleaning for Treating Surfaces

February 2, 2015

Effective cleaning can sometimes only be accomplished with the outside help of other technologies. Surprisingly though, many of these modern professional cleaning systems utilize very common elements to clean. One particular form of cleaning that is impacting the manufacturing sector is plasma cleaning. Cool Clean has found a way to combine the plasma cleaning with our integrated CO2 spray. The results have been quite promising in surface treatment and preparation.

Plasma used on a plastic part

Plasma Cleaning

Solvent free cleaning can come in many forms. Plasma cleaning is an example of a dry method using a chemical reaction of air plasma for surface preparation. Atmospheric plasma systems focus the plasma for cleaning of substrates at the molecular level. Plasma cleaning is often found in the sterilization of medical implants, electronics and semiconductors, and automotive technology.

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